RGRROP411A
Perform duties of greyhound or horse race judge

This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to identify the finish positions of greyhounds or horses in races and report outcomes of the race. It requires the ability to operate computers and other relevant technology, correctly identify greyhounds or horses, liaise with stewards and other racing officials and work to deadlines while applying ethical standards and complying with the rules of racing.This unit of competency operates in workplace environments of racing administration, stables, racecourses and public areas.Licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements may apply to this unit. Check with your State Principal Racing Authority for current license or registration requirements.

Application

This unit of competency supports racing industry personnel who are required to perform the duties of a greyhound or horse race judge for a racing governing body or race club as part of their job role. Some states and racing codes have crossover tasks associated with the duties of race judge and photo finish operator.

Competencies attained in this unit apply to the greyhound, harness or thoroughbred code of the industry. Consequently when performance criteria are applied they will relate to the greyhound, harness or thoroughbred code, and statements of attainment for this unit will reflect this distinction.


Elements and Performance Criteria

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Prepare for race day.

1. Race fields and distances are verified .

2. Barrier position, racing colours and greyhound or horse identification features are confirmed.

3. Operation of equipment used to observe race and identify placings is verified prior to commencement of race meeting.

4. Rules of racing for the declaration of places in a race are defined and complied with.

Identify the finish positions in a greyhound or horse race or trial.

5. Identify individual greyhounds or horses within a race.

6. Racing positions of all greyhounds or horses are identified throughout the major stages of the race prior to the finish.

7. Incidents within a race are noted.

8. Photo finish image recording is triggered.

9. Placings of first four greyhounds or first five horses are estimated.

10. Placings of all runners are confirmed and declared after interpretation of photo finish image.

Report outcomes of the race.

11. Stewards are advised of final placings .

12. Results are provided to public via semaphore or other notification system .

13. Report on placings is prepared and forwarded to stewards and other relevant parties.

Required Skills

Required skills

applying OHS and environmental work procedures

communicating with stewards, racing officials, licensed and registered personnel and others using assertive communication techniques to gather, interpret and relay information relating to judging operations

completing duties in accordance with safe operating procedures and nominated time frame

complying with organisational policies and procedures

consulting concisely and effectively with colleagues and team members

evaluating advantages or disadvantages of a variety of potential solutions to resolve problems

making effective decisions, including accurately identifying correct winner in a tight finish

operating a range of equipment and technology

reading and interpreting workplace documentation, including relevant rules of racing

relating to people from a range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with varying physical and mental abilities

visual acuity to identify colours, individual animals and correct winner

written communication skills to complete workplace documentation and reports.

Required knowledge

communication procedures, including reporting lines within the workplace and wider racing industry

ethical conduct standards of relevant racing principal authority

hazards and potential hazards in the workplace and risk control procedures

identification features of greyhounds or horses

industry terminology related to racing procedures and judging operations

OHS and environmental legislative requirements

organisational policies and procedures

principles of effective communication

procedures for operation and maintenance of relevant equipment and technology

purpose and comprehension of racing operations documentation

relevant rules of racing

race colours and barrier or box numbers

reporting requirements for irregularities and problems

types of equipment and procedures for operation and maintenance.

Evidence Required

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy all of the requirements of the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge and the range statement of this unit and include evidence of the following:

knowledge of the requirements, procedures and instructions that are to apply when judging races

implementation of procedures and timely techniques for the safe, effective and accurate application of judging procedures

working with others to undertake and complete procedures that meet required outcomes.

Evidence should be collected over a period of time in a range of workplace-relevant contexts and include dealings with an appropriate range of situations.

Context of, and specific resources for assessment

Competency must be assessed in a racing workplace that provides access to the required resources. Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints. It is to comply with relevant regulatory requirements or Australian Standards requirements.

Assessment of the practical components of this unit will be by observation of relevant skills.

The following resources must be available:

industry supervised access to race meetings and racecourse facilities relevant to the applicable racing code

materials and equipment relevant to assessing candidate's ability to complete race judging procedures

work instructions and related documentation.

Method of assessment

Assessment methods must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the Racing Training Package.

The suggested strategies for the assessment of this unit are:

written and/or oral assessment of candidate's required knowledge

observed, documented and firsthand testimonial evidence of candidate's application of practical tasks.

Evidence is required to be demonstrated over a period of time, therefore where performance is not directly observed any evidence should be authenticated by supervisors or other appropriate persons.

This unit may be assessed in a holistic way with other units of competency relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role.

Guidance information for assessment

Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands (e.g. literacy and numeracy demands) and the needs of particular target groups (e.g. people with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people with a language background other than English, youth and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds).


Range Statement

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Race fields and distances are verified by:

race book, including runners and race distances

scratchings list.

Greyhound or horse identification features may include:

animal colours and markings

driver or rider race colours

greyhound rug colours

new gear, for example:

blinkers used on horses

shadow rolls.

Equipment may include:

camera

computer

lighting

mirror box

telephone

television monitor.

Rules of racing may include:

camera usage

judge's position when runners pass winning post

judge's declaration of winning or placed runners subject to alteration only by stewards

mistakes

placement of runners to fourth, fifth or sixth place dependant upon conditions of race, code and state

rules of racing for the specific racing code.

Stewards advised of final placings will cover:

calling for photo in tight or close finishes

comparing placings

margins, for example:

half head

half length

nose

phoning stewards room.

Other notification systems may include:

on course announcer and public address

race caller.


Sectors

Unit Sector

Greyhound, harness and thoroughbred racing codes


Employability Skills

This unit contains employability skills.


Licensing Information

Refer to Unit Descriptor